A USSF spokesman confirmed that conversations have taken place to ESPNFC.com, but offered no other details.

Gulati didn't immediately reply to a request for comment, but a source with knowledge of discussions said that while progress has been made toward an agreement -- which would result in South America's continental championship being held in North America for the first time -- questions about scheduling and player availability remain.

Last July, Gulati told ESPN and others that the proposed tournament, which would celebrate the 100th anniversary of CONMEBOL as South American soccer's governing body, would have to be added to the FIFA calendar before the U.S. could consider hosting the event.

If not, club teams would be under no obligation to release players to national teams from the U.S., Mexico and others from the CONCACAF region, which includes North and Central America and the Caribbean. The U.S. sent an understrength squad to the 2007 Copa America in Venezuela, where they lost group-stage games to Argentina, Paraguay and Colombia.